4 min PR and 3rd place finish - Best Damn Race Orlando

4 min PR and 3rd place finish – Best Damn Race Orlando

Last Updated on October 26, 2022 by Amanda Brooks

I’ve already said I’m not a fan of race reports, so mostly I’ll keep this short and sweet with some details for me to have as a record for later.

Super short: 1:44:02 | 4:20 PR | 3rd in age group — David ran 1:41 like the rock star he is.

A. HOLY SHIT.
That’s mostly all I could think as I crossed the finish line. Pardon the language, but really I couldn’t form a thought any longer. After seeing I got 3rd in my age group, I was even more speechless. I know it’s a small race, but I’ll take it however it comes!!!B. I ran David’s race that’s the only reason the PR was so big.
I planed running around 8:10-8:15, but he stayed with me through mile 9 so I just kept moving because it felt ok {not easy, but not like it would kill me}. After that I just thought well you’ve done it so far, don’t toss in the towel now!

C. My knee was iffy all week long. I think that was my body’s way of forcing me to taper because I didn’t have an issue with anything on race day.
D. 4 Weeks ago we ran Best Damn Race Safety Harbor which was a great practice run and I put to practice all of the lessons from that race. It also means I had a recovery week and a taper week before this race, doing only LHR training and no speedwork.

E. I opted for compression pants to help my knee {physically and mentally}. I love my CW-X so much, but I think I need a new pair these have been around the block and don’t even have the reflective pieces left on them!

My watch was off, so this is a combo of splits from my and D’s watch – mostly for my records.
AVG HR 169 {Totally not LHR}
Mile 1: 8:04
Mile 2: 8:01
Mile 3: 7:56
Mile 4: 8:03
Mile 5: 8:04
Mile 6: 8:00
Mile 7: 7:49
Mile 8: 7:58
Mile 9: 7:54
Mile 10: 8:14
Mile 11: 8:02
Mile 12: 8:15
Mile 13: 8:12
Official: 1:44:02
Previous PR 1:48:20

BEST DAMN RACE ORLANDO

First year year for this race in Orlando which is why it was a small race {hey that worked to my 3rd place advantage!}. Quick overview:

For a first race in a new city, it went off flawlessly from everything that I saw {minus spelling Orlando wrong on the race bibs}
Nearly 40 turns on this course meant we enjoyed some beautiful neighborhoods, but that constantly changes your pace
Around 2 miles were on brick paved roads, which is harder on the body and means paying attention so you don’t trip.
Super flat course
Post race food was nothing special {compared to the awesome Jimmy John’s in Safety Harbor}
Plenty of water stops
Great men and women’s specific race shirts
Blingtastic for medal seekers – Double medals for those who ran both the Safety Harbor and Orlando race. Double medals for those who ran the 5K and 10K.

Do you like small races?

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